Chapter 212 - She Will Be A Good Queen
One of the servants approached the Great Lady and whispered something to her. The Great Lady then nodded as the servant stepped away and entered the room behind them.
"It is nearing midday now. Let's go inside where it is more comfortable to chat," the Great Lady instructed as she stood up to enter the drawing-room connected to the terrace where they were staying
Their group entered a huge drawing-room.
Seren was awed. 'No wonder she named her dwelling the Crystal Palace.'
She initially thought that the name was taken from the crystal waters of the lake, as from the outside, the hanging gardens and rustic pavilions would have earned it the name of a fairyland or a paradise from the legends. However, the moment she stepped in, she was stunned by the sight of the large crystal chandeliers and ornaments made from what seemed to be diamonds and white gold.
The inside of the Crystal Palace reflected the Great Lady's elegant yet carefree taste—it was in majority an off-white cream color which had various designs made on the walls in fine gold work. From tables to chairs to the shelves, everything was either coated or made of white gold. Even the portraits hanging on the walls had golden frames. Only the luxurious carpet had a different color, which was a design of red and gold, which made the entire drawing-room look like another exquisite work of art.
The servants present inside bowed to them, and another old lady stepped forward.
"I have seen His Majesty the Dragon and Her Majesty the Phoenix of Megaris," the old lady greeted them.
Great Lady Theodora looked at Seren and introduced the old lady to them. "She is Lady Cerviel, my lady-in-waiting. She takes care of this Crystal Palace."
Seren nodded lightly and observed Lady Cerviel who looked a little older than Lady Tyra. She wore clothes similar in color to other servants working inside the Crystal Palace, though what she's wearing were clothes of a noble. Lady Cerviel's inner long dress was cream in color, though she added a personal touch of wearing a light pink outer waistcoat over it with gold embroidery and crystal accessories. It was heavily influenced by the taste of the Great Lady who she had been serving ever since the former queen ruled alongside her husband two generations ago.
"I have arranged tea for the guests," Lady Cerviel said. The moment the guards had seen the boat coming into view, they had already notified the people inside that guests would be arriving. Thus, the preparations didn't take long.
Great Lady Theodora sat on the chair that was meant for the owner of this place while Drayce and Seren sat on the longer side of the cream-cushioned couch.
The grandmother and grandson pair talked about various things that Drayce had done when he was away from the kingdom. Seren listened on the side as they enjoyed the freshly brewed tea which Seren had to drink while lifting her veil a little. The two didn't mind her silence and let her be.
From their conversation, Seren noticed that Drayce was close to his grandmother and valued her as a family, in a similar fashion to how within the Ilven Family, Seren was close to her brother. Once the tea was finished, Great Lady Theodora looked at Seren.
"Seren, would you like to visit my garden?" the old lady asked.
Seren nodded. "My pleasure, Grandmother."
The three left the drawing-room through another door which led towards the huge hanging garden that Seren saw from the boat.
The Crystal palace had two main gardens, the hanging garden at the front and the one on the back of the palace where the greenhouse was located, though in reality the entire palace was one large garden in itself and many garden areas were interconnected. Although it was already late in autumn, the hanging garden was blooming with countless different-colored flowers, as if the goddess of nature had just stepped in there to bless that place. It had a large water fountain in the center where birds were drinking and playing with the water. The trees had bird nests and food feeders hanging on them, causing the place to be filled with the sweet sounds of birds chirping. It ought to be one if not the most wonderful landscape she had ever seen.
Seren found herself lost in happiness to be surrounded by such a beauty of nature and forgot she was there with others. Subconsciously, she stepped forward to take a good look at the entire garden. She walked in the stony path that wound its way to various places that had clay figures placed along with it.
Drayce and the Great Lady didn't call her back and simply stood at the same place as they watched her enjoy herself.
"I see someone is smitten by his wife," the blue-clothed woman commented as she observed Seren with a smile.
"Is it wrong?"
The Great Lady shook her head. "In fact, I am happy for you."
Drayce didn't comment on it and changed the subject. "Grandmother must know about her background."
The Great Lady frowned as she chastised him again. "Are you looking down on your grandmother? How can I not know who my grandson got married with? As a good grandmother, I need to get information about everything related to you."
"Then I don't need to explain anything about her," he said.
"Although your wife is not an ordinary lady, I don't believe in all the rumors."
"Not all rumors are wrong?" he said.
The Great Lady made a sound of agreement. "I understood it when I saw the flowers blooming before you arrived. Imagine how pleasantly surprised I am to see all my treasured plants thriving despite the wrong season. I must say, I enjoyed the view. Such a blessing she has with her."
Drayce agreed and said, "Grandmother must also know how she has grown up."
Great Lady Theodora clasped the head of her cane a little harder than usual, though her voice sounded calm as she asked, "Does she remind you of your past?"
The past. Many years had gone by like a blink of an eye, and yet the memories of those days could not be easily forgotten.
"I had you and Tyra," Drayce said. The sadness appeared in his eyes at the memory of seeing that empty and dreary tower where she used to live. "She had to go through it for seventeen years."
"That's why she seems to cherish this a lot," she commented as she followed the petite figure studying one of the exotic flowers on one corner of the garden. "It will be difficult for her to get along with people. She doesn't like people, she doesn't partake in conversations, and she seems to prefer solitude. Not everyone is as understanding or as good-tempered as me. But this is a part of her, and you cannot change it unless she wants to change herself. It must bother you a lot."
"It's fine. She is getting used to me."
"I believe you are a patient person. I trust you."
"I am trying to be," he said, "She needs to learn what it means to be a queen."
"It might be difficult, but rest assured. Tyra will take care of her education. When I brought your mother to the palace, she knew nothing as well but Tyra taught her splendidly," the Great Lady assured. "The person who has gone through pain has the ability to understand other's pain, and it makes them worthy to rule and be in power. She will be a good queen, just like your mother."
Drayce just nodded lightly and continued to look at where his queen had disappeared, forgetting others behind. All of the sudden, they saw the flowers around them changing colors one by one, letting out a subtle glow every time the colors fade into another. Drayce and the Great Lady were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful miracle they're witnessing. Although it was the first time they had seen something like this, they were both smart people and immediately related it to being caused by the young queen.
"She must be liking this place a lot," the Great lady commented as she turned to her grandson.
Drayce nodded. "I have never seen her as happy as today."
"It seems like she has no control over her abilities yet."
"Her emotions manifest themselves through nature, although this is the first time I noticed she affects flowers like this."
As for the young woman who was the topic of their conversation, she roamed around the huge garden while following the colorful butterflies flying everywhere. One even sat on her hands when she tried to catch them.
Looking at the colorful butterflies, she giggled, and the next moment, many of them surrounded her which made her even happier. Soon, they disappeared towards the flowers. Unknown to her, the entire place was changing into various colors, as if someone was trying different colors on the canvas one after another.
Seren did not realize that she had strayed away from the hanging garden, and had gone towards another garden of the Crystal Palace. There were more pine trees in the area and lesser flower shrubs. Soon enough, she reached a wooden bridge in the garden which had water below it. There were so many lotuses and water lilies floating over the water, making that pond look colorful. Admiring the view for a while, she crossed the bridge and reached the gazebo which was at the end of that garden and at the border of the lake.
At the edge of the gazebo, she could see her reflection in the clear water of the lake. She could also see the scenery of faraway mountains covered with snow. It made her feel as if she was looking at one of the royal paintings inside the palace, the kind of painting that would make one think it could not possibly exist in the real world due to its magnificence.
"This can't be real. It's all so beautiful."
Seren didn't know what she was feeling, but she at least knew she had never been this happy before. This place, she loved it. If possible, she never wanted to leave.
After some time, she heard footsteps coming closer and turned around to see the person behind her. She saw Drayce entering the gazebo. She found herself in a daze once more. Not only the gardens and the lake, but this man coming towards her also looked like an extraordinary painting that had come to life. She couldn't help but stare at him without blinking even once.
Was it the magic of this place, or was this man himself causing her to question which was more beautiful? She knew he was not ordinary, but his appearance had never made her this breathless before. Even though he was not yet close to her, she heard her heart picking up its pace. She could feel it beating faster with each of his steps towards her.
'Why am I...?' she thought as she touched her chest. It was thumping loudly, she could even hear heartbeats in her ears.
"My Queen," he said as he reached her. She was still in a daze, staring at his handsome face even when he's already standing in front of her.
"My Queen?" he called and finally a dazed woman reacted with a, "Huh?"
With a gasp, she came back to her senses but her eyes still didn't leave his face, "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Do you like this place, my Queen?" Drayce asked.
As if he had asked a little girl about her favorite doll, she looked at him with a bright gaze. "I liked it a lot! It looks like how they describe heaven in books."
"I am glad you liked it," he said, only to hear a question from her.
"Will we be coming here often?"
'We haven't left yet and she is talking about returning here,' Drayce thought and didn't answer her immediately.
She stared at him with her eyes full of hope to get a positive answer. With an inward sigh, he answered coldly, "Once in a while, but not so often."
Drayce wanted to say she could come there whenever she wanted but he swallowed his words and changed them. By now, Drayce had understood Seren's love and affection towards nature, and if he were to permit her to come here often, he was sure his wife would forget him and stay here permanently. He sure didn't want that to happen. She was allowed to show her love and affection to him and him alone.
Seren's thoughts were not complex. She was relieved that he at least didn't say no, and her purple eyes showed how grateful she was.
"Thank you so much, Your Majesty."
Seeing the genuine happiness in her eyes, he felt guilty for being crafty. She was the Queen of Megaris, and she could go anywhere she wanted and didn't need his permission to at least visit this Crystal Palace since its owner the Great Lady Theodora Ivanov had welcomed her. But he couldn't help but feel jealous as he was yet to get that affection and love from her. He was even more annoyed by the fact that his grandmother was calling his wife by her name, when he himself had yet to earn that privilege. How could he call her Seren when his wife refused to call him anything but 'His Majesty'?
'When will that day come when she will look at her dear husband with such affection and happiness?' was all he could think at this moment.
"My Queen, Grandmother is waiting for you to show you her greenhouse. She believes you will love to see it," Drayce informed, getting out of his wishful thinking.
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Do check the reference images in the comment section of both the chapters.